A Time Unlike Her Own
by Sakucherryblossoms
Summary: There was something wrong. Even after they had defeated Madara and Kaguya, the shinobi from the great shinobi alliance were not waking up from the eternal genjutsu they had been placed under. Because of this, it is up to Sakura to go back in time to, hopefully, create a brighter future than the bleak one she left behind.
1. Chapter 1

A Time Unlike Her Own 1

There was something wrong. Even after they had defeated Madara and Kaguya, the shinobi from the great shinobi alliance were not waking up from the eternal genjutsu they had been placed under. It is up to Sakura to go back in time to, hopefully, create a brighter future than the bleak one she left behind.

Sorry I'm posting a new story... I know how much you guys probably want to kill me right now, because I haven't updated SWM for like a month, but I promise I'm working on it! This chapter came out so easily that I couldn't stop myself from writing it... hopefully you all forgive me!

 _Italics are flashbacks_

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

It was night, and the forest seemed to be darker than she had ever remembered it being. The trees were wilder looking with branches and vines that crept along their limbs, and there were no clear pathways or roads for people to walk anywhere. When she had arrived in this forest, she had not been able to recognize any of her surroundings, but that did little to surprise her. A part of her had actually figured it would be like this.

Even though the forest was eerily silent, the wildlife not even making a sound, she didn't pause her footsteps as she hurriedly raced in a direction that was somehow both familiar and not.

XxX

 _There was something wrong. Even after they had defeated Madara and Kaguya, the shinobi from the great shinobi alliance were not waking up from the eternal genjutsu they had been placed under. Even after the four tried to disrupt the rests' chakra with their own, they realized that none of them were going to wake up._

" _What are we going to do?" Naruto was the first to speak, and his voice sounded so heartbroken it broke Sakura's heart a little more._

 _Even with Sasuke coming back to work with them in the end, it still hadn't been enough… The home they worked so hard to protect would mean nothing without the people who lived inside it._

" _We'll have to do something," it was Sasuke who had been the one to break the deafening silence that was left by Naruto's words._

" _Yes, but what?" Kakashi had asked._

XxX

She didn't recognize her surroundings, but there was a high chance that the terrain surrounding her village was different from what she knew it to be in the future. She continued forward in the direction that would, hopefully, lead her to a much younger Konoha.

XxX

" _There's got to be a time and space jutsu we can use," Sasuke had suggested after they had went back to Konoha to try to figure out a way to fix the world they lived in._

" _Highly likely," Kakashi said with a frown as they all sat within the Hokage's library. "The one I can think of uses so much chakra the people who perform the jutsu would end up dying from such strain, though."_

" _It would still be something to look into," Naruto said as he looked to the other three. "I'd willingly give my life for everyone who is stuck in that damned genjutsu."_

" _Hn," Sasuke agreed._

XxX

She had been the one chosen to come back in time, though it hadn't been because of her special abilities, or what she could offer to team seven, it was the exact opposite.

XxX

" _It should be Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled as he and Sasuke were pacing through the Hokage's office. It was much too quiet in the village, and Naruto's voice seemed to carry for miles in the desolate place._

" _Kakashi is stronger than she is," Sasuke almost snarled back. "He'd be less likely to die if we sent him back."_

" _But Sakura-Chan knows the history of our village!" Naruto yelled again, and he stomped his foot down for emphasis. "She is compassionate, and could easily adapt to whatever situation she would be sent back into!"_

" _You're putting your sentiment for her over what would actually be the best option here," Sasuke glared back at the blond. "You're being an absolute, sentimental idiot!"_

" _Sakura-Chan would-"_

"… _You'll need my chakra to complete the seal," Kakashi had added as Sasuke and Naruto continued to argue. His voice seemed to catch the three off guard, though Sakura found it to be a welcome interruption. "Sakura is the only choice we have."_

XxX

It felt like an odd consolation prize, being the one who was sent back to save the future. Even after the jutsu had been completed, and she had been sent back, she wasn't sure exactly where she was or even what time she was in.

She had one mission she needed to complete, and to complete that mission she needed to find Madara Uchiha.

XxX

" _I still don't agree with this," Sasuke said with his lip turned downward. It was almost like he had a bad taste in his mouth, but Sakura couldn't fault him… Kakashi should have been the one to be in her shoes; if she hadn't used her seal in the war, she would have had enough chakra to help the boys send him back instead._

" _Sakura-Chan," it was Naruto who had the most faith in her; it had always been Naruto. "You're our only hope."_

" _Explain to me what's going to happen again?" She couldn't help herself from asking. She already knew everything that was going to happen, but hearing Naruto explain it one more time would leave her in a better place._

" _Kakashi-sensei, the Teme and I are going to use our chakra to send you back in time," Naruto said easily with a smile. Oh how she would miss those smiles. "I'm hoping with Kurama's chakra we'll send you far enough back to before he was even released from my mom's seal. That should give you enough time to find Madara before everything gets too complicated."_

" _Enough of the niceties, Dobe," Sasuke said with a glare as his bi-colored eyes focused solely on Sakura. "Your only job is to find Madara Uchiha and kill him."_

" _Sasuke you know that Madara can be-"_

" _Kill him," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "Sakura isn't you, Dobe. She can't change a psychopath's mind like you did Pein and Obito. Sakura is just Sakura… we'll be lucky if she is even able to do this at all."_

XxX

His lack of confidence in her hurt, but it was something she was going to bear the burden of anyway. He had to believe in her a little; he had given his life to send her back after all.

XxX

" _Stand in the middle of the seal, Sakura-Chan," Naruto's voice was soft as he directed her to where the intricate seal was centralized. She had never seen a seal so detailed, with so many small, complex parts in her life._

" _We'll start filtering our chakra into the seal," Naruto continued, and she was glad he was the one who was explaining this to her. "When we have filtered all of our chakra into the seal, it should send you back in time."_

" _Causing us to die in the process," Kakashi added helpfully, and Sakura could already feel the tears beginning to well up in her eyes, though she refused to let them fall._

 _They were giving their lives to send her back in time to save them; she didn't want them to see how weak she was._

 _She could feel the steady flow of chakra coming from her boys, and it was overwhelming and suffocating. The concentrated strength of their chakras together was something she had never felt before, and something she never hoped to feel again._

" _As long as you do what you're supposed to," Sasuke added, his voice tight with the strain of expending his chakra. "We will not have died in vein. Kill Madara Uchi-"_

" _Do what feels right," Naruto cut Sasuke off as Kurama's chakra flowed out from Naruto in waves. The chakra was powerful, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut to suppress the panic that started to build within her. She could feel the jutsu beginning to take effect, and she refused to watch them die in front of her. "Change the past, Sakura-Chan. Create a future where there are more than just us left."_

XxX

Sakura picked up her pace as she headed in the direction she knew Konoha would be; it was something that had been instilled upon her since she was a genin, and she prided herself in being able to know which direction her village was in, even though she had no idea where she was.

If she continued at her current pace, she would probably make the village before the sun rose. She still was unsure of what she would tell the Hokage when she arrived, but she was sure she'd be able to think of something.

The truth was something that was unbelievable, and would likely result in her being put in the psychiatric ward at the hospital, so Sakura was pretty sure she wouldn't be telling the Hokage the whole truth.

She would tell him that her village had been destroyed, and she was the last who had been left alive…

Sakura bit her lip as she continued moving, trying to focus on something other than the pain that caused her chest to constrict; now was still not the time to cry.

She had promised herself that after the mission was over, she would allow herself a good cry. A deep, gut-wrenching, pass-out-afterwards cry. Until her mission was over, however, she would continue to do what she had to do, to ensure her future never happened; she owed her boys that much at least.

* * *

So what did you all think of it? I've been reading a lot of stories from Winged Lady Colette recently, and those have inspired me to write a time travel fic of my own. They're very good, in case you're interested in reading them : )


	2. Chapter 2

A Time Unlike Her Own 2

Thank you all for your support so far! 15 reviews and 53 follows for the first chapter is amazing, and I'm so very thankful : ) My birthday is coming up on Monday, so I'm going to try to update as many of my stories as I can as a present to you : ) I'm very excited to continue this story and see where it takes us!

 _Flashback_

The flashbacks will decrease as time goes on, but will still be an important part of this story. I think they add character to the story, and let you see what Sakura has been going through both back in the future, and now in the past.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura had worried her lip until it was bleeding, but still she could not find any relief.

Her previous approximation had been correct, and she had arrived at her destination just before the sun had risen. She was, however, disconcerted to find that her village was actually _not there._ What she had found instead was a faceless mountain, and a clearing surrounded by trees.

The fact that she hadn't seen anyone else in the day she had been in this world had not bothered her. She had been masking her chakra and had been so focused on getting to the village that she had completely overlooked the fact that she hadn't been able to sense anyone. Now, though, Sakura was left to wonder just how far back the boys had been able to send her.

Before the founding of their village? What was she supposed to do if they had sent her too far back, and Madara wasn't even alive in this time? How would she be able to complete her mission if Madara wasn't even around?

Thoughts raced through Sakura's head, and she worried her lip until she winced. Bringing her hand up, she easily healed the injury before she tried to focus again.

She would not know how far she was sent back until she actually found somebody, anybody really. Naruto was right when he had said she knew history well, because she would be able to give a rough estimate of the time period by observing what people were wearing, and what was going on in the world around her.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stood up from the forest floor and headed in the opposite direction she had come from… she didn't know what she would do if she didn't find anyone.

XxX

" _Is this village the same?" Naruto called as the four surveyed the village their friend had once called his own. It was too desolate and barren for anyone to call home now, and even though they had seen the village at its worst after the Akatsuki had kidnapped the Kazekage, the streets of Suna had never looked so bleak... All the work Gaara had done appeared to be for naught._

" _People here are also stuck inside the genjutsu," Sakura had told the other three as she finished checking one of the civilians with her medical chakra. It had been a precursor check; something that showed her that the person's body was still alive, though their brain activity had all but ceased._

" _It shouldn't have gone this far," Kakashi's voice was soft, and Sakura worried about the sake of his sanity. After everything her sensei had gone through, would this ultimately be the thing that caused him to break?_

" _It covered the whole fucking land Kakashi," Sasuke said, his eyes glaring up at the sharingan moon that still blazed brightly in the sky. Oh how they all loathed that moon. "Every single person except us is stuck inside a world of Madara's own creation."_

" _If you gave me enough time I could try to see if I can-"_

" _We don't have time Sakura," Sasuke snarled. "You weren't able to break the genjutsu when we were back near the tree, you weren't able to break the genjutsu two minutes ago, you won't ever be able to break the fucking genjutsu!"_

" _Don't blame Sakura-Chan, Teme!" Naruto glared back at the raven haired male. "She wasn't the one who put us under the genjutsu in the first place. She's trying to be productive and find something that could help us resolve this problem."_

" _Oh you mean the problem of being one of the only four people alive in the world? Do you know how maddening it is to be left with only you three?"_

XxX

Sakura knew that Sasuke had experienced loneliness in the past, both after the passing of his clan and when team seven had been the only people left conscious after the war was over, but she was still bitter all the same. Having to leave everyone that she had left, and leaving everything that had identified her as herself behind had made her truly feel lost for the first time since Sasuke left the village.

Being truly alone was not something she wished upon anyone, and Sakura was sure even when she found others, she would still feel a deep empty numbness inside at being sent into the past alone.

She had not even been able to bring her forehead protector with her for fear of someone finding it and then asking too many questions. In hindsight, it seemed to not matter whether she would have brought it or not, now.

XxX

" _Where are you taking your forehead protector?" Kakashi had asked while he had followed her out the door. The tension in the Hokage's office had become too much for her, and instead of listening to Sasuke and Naruto fight over who should be sent back, when she was obviously the only choice, Sakura had decided to get some air. It appeared Kakashi had also finished listening to the two bicker, because he had followed her out of the office rather quickly._

" _I… I can't bring it with me," Sakura said, and she could feel tears threatened to fall. It meant so much more to her than just a piece of metal that kept her hair back; it was her symbol of strength, the thing that proved she was an important part of her village, the symbol that showed she was a part of her team._

" _Aa," Kakashi said with a nod, "I suppose you can't."_

" _I shouldn't wear this either, should I?" Sakura said, acknowledging the red shirt she wore. "I… I feel like I won't be able to be me anymore."_

" _You'll still be you Sakura," Kakashi said as he ran a hand through his hair. Sakura's eyes stayed on her sensei, and it was the first time she had ever seen him look older than his actual age. "Your clothes and forehead protector don't make you who you are, you do._

" _Even if no one will know who you are from the future," Kakashi continued on, "You'll always know who you are, Sakura. You'll always be you."_

"… _Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said after a moment. Even if part of her wasn't sure she fully believed him, she was thankful for his words all the same. "I needed that."_

" _Now let's go get you some new clothes," Kakashi said, and she could see the smile in his eyes. It wasn't enough to bring back his usual youthful demeanor, but it was enough to lift both of their spirits. "I know a good shop that has a lot of kunochi attire, and I don't think the shop owner would be too upset if we borrowed a few items…"_

" _Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said with a nod, and she followed after him._

XxX

She had not been able to see a single person in the past three days, and she was starting to wonder if there were any people to actually see. The population had been increasing over time, but were there really so few people in the past she was in?

Stopping momentarily, Sakura closed her eyes and concentrated on the world around her. She wasn't a sensor by any means, but that didn't mean she wasn't able to sense other people's chakra. Being a medic allowed her to be sensitive to different chakra, though that only gave her a slight advantage.

As it was, Sakura still could not sense anything other than the wildlife that surrounded her. The wildlife was becoming more accustomed to her presence, it seemed, because they were no longer hiding from her.

She may not have found anyone, but the clearing she was in would be as good as any to rest for the night. Part of her, the part that reminded her of Sasuke, screamed at her to keep going; _Madara Uchiha wasn't going to kill himself_ _you worthless bitch_. Though another part of her, the Naruto part, reminded her that she hadn't eaten in three days and _you need to take care of yourself first, and then you can focus on finding Madara._

She decided to listen to the Naruto part of her, because it was Naruto, and Kami did she miss him. She missed all of her boys, even Sasuke, who seemed like he could never stand her presence.

She had figured she deserved it, or at least deserved some of it, for the way she had acted when she was younger, but she was sure she didn't deserve all of the rage and blame that seemed to be thrust upon her… Naruto had it worse though, the two constantly bickered and Sasuke seemed to take it out on him more than he did her.

It was like he was blaming them for everything that had happened; blaming them for not being strong enough to protect the world, even though he hadn't been strong enough to either. She had no explanation other than Sasuke was Sasuke; nothing she could have or would have said would have changed anything, no matter how much she had wanted it to.

Worrying her already raw lip, Sakura unsealed a scroll that had been in her pouch and got to work on creating a fire. Fire jutsu did not come easy to her, but after the war Sakura had learned to adapt to the world around her.

She had learned basic fire jutsu from Sasuke, though he hadn't intentionally taught her. She had learned by watching and observing him, and after a few tries it had come almost as easily as breathing did. Kakashi had said it was her chakra control that had allowed her to perform it so easily, though, it did expend more chakra for her than earth jutsu and water jutsu did.

Sakura was sure Kakashi had meant it as a compliment, though Sakura didn't take it as such. It had only made Sakura think how much stronger she could have been if she had worked more on elemental jutsu before the war had started; would she have been able to make a difference in the war if she had been able to utilize the elements more than she was currently able to?

Sakura ignored the prepackaged ramen in front of her and resealed her scroll. She was past the point of hungry, but she didn't think she could stomach anything. She was tired, and emotional, and felt worthless… Kami did she feel worthless.

Blinking at the fire in front of her, Sakura decided it was time to rest. It had been three days since she last slept, and even though she was not sure who, or even what, was around this area, Sakura felt safe enough to close her eyes and rest for the time being.

The only sounds that she heard as she closed her eyes were the soft breaths that she took in and out, the crickets that were chirping behind her, the fire that was crackling in front of her, and the owls who were cooing above her.

A second later, however, Sakura heard movement that had her eyes springing open. It was slow, and whatever, or whoever it was, wasn't trying to be subtle. The constant crunching of leaves and twigs could have easily been avoided by a ninja. This, whatever it was, obviously wasn't worried about being caught…

Sakura slipped up the tree she had been in front of, and crouched behind a branch of leaves. She held her breath and slowed down her heartbeat to decrease the amount of noise she was outputting, and waited. Just as her lungs began to scream at her in protest, Sakura saw a figure trip into the clearing.

The figure landed on the ground a few yards away from her fire, and for a moment, Sakura wondered if the person was dead. The shuddering breath he took was enough to quell that thought, though Sakura knew he wouldn't live long, not with the way blood was beginning to pool on the ground below him.

It was a person, the first she had seen in this time period, though it wouldn't last long if she continued to allow him to bleed like that. She was unaware of what the person looked like, though she did know he was a man by the stature of his build.

His breathing appeared to be haggard, and from where Sakura stood, she was unaware of where the injury was, and if the man was still conscious.

She could not sense anyone else near the clearing, so it meant the man had been traveling for a while, not that she was sure she could rely on her sensing abilities anymore. She hadn't been able to sense the man before her in the first place… was his chakra really that low, or was he able to mask it like she could to hers?

What was she going to do? The medic and human in her couldn't walk away from someone on the ground, bleeding out, dying before her very eyes, but there was a very real possibility that this person could be dangerous, and ultimately harm her.

It was a chance she would have to be willing to take, Sakura thought, because she couldn't just watch as his life faded away into nothing.

Jumping down from her hiding spot, Sakura wondered if maybe she was helping him because she was lonely, and this was the first person she had been able to see since she had come back in time. If he lived, would he be willing to show her where other people were? Was that the reason she had decided to save him?

No, she decided, her morals had been instilled upon her at a very young age, and they were way too strong for it to only be loneliness that caused her to want to heal this man. It was her compassion for life; her compassion to fix things that were broken that had healing chakra already coating her hands as she leaned next to him.

She couldn't really see him clearly with the dim lighting the fire provided, but she didn't need to be able to see him to heal him. Her chakra was already coursing through his body, and she had already found the problem.

He had a near fatal sword wound on his stomach. It was in a place that would definitely have left him dead if he had passed out in any other clearing; she wasn't sure what the medics of this era were capable of, but she doubted anyone else would have been able to save him.

She pressed down on his stomach, healing both the great and small intestines, and the stomach as she went. The two belts that were wrapped around the dark cloak he was wearing did little to prevent her chakra from coming inside, and she wondered if the bulky clothing was the only reason he was alive; it had probably kept him from bleeding out.

All of the blood reminded her of the last time she had healed someone who had been so close to death.

XxX

 _Sand was beginning to make her knees bleed, but she didn't dare stop what she was doing. She was kneeling next to a body, a body that should still be breathing, still be moving, still be_ alive _, but Kami, it wasn't._

 _Her hand was in Naruto's chest, the only thing that was keeping blood pumping through his body, and the only thing that was giving him a semblance of life. She had never truly been this scared before. The war was still going on around them, it hadn't stopped when Naruto had dropped to the ground, and it would never stop if she wasn't able to bring him back somehow._

 _Madara had been able to draw the kyuubi out of Naruto, and now Naruto wasn't breathing, and his heart wasn't pumping, and how were they ever going to win without him? Tears clung to her eyes as she squeezed his heart in a rhythm that would match his regular heartbeat._

" _Come on Naruto," Sakura breathed out through the tears. She could feel Gaara somewhere behind her, flying them closer to where the real battle was being held, but she steadily focused on the blond in front of her. He had never given up on her, so she would never give up on him. "Come on Naruto."_

XxX

She had been able to save her teammate, just as she had been able to save the man before her. She had carried him closer to the fire once she had finished, and had fallen asleep immediately after. After expending so much chakra, and not resting well, she knew she shouldn't blame herself for her exhaustion, but when she awoke to the sun shining high in the sky, Sakura was still disappointed in herself.

Her clearing remained untouched, even through her long sleep. The man had not stirred yet, though she doubted he would anytime soon. The wound had been deep, and it would keep him unconscious for at least another day. He was probably weary too, and would need to sleep off some of his exhaustion and fatigue.

Now that the sun was above her, and she had light on her side, Sakura took time to carefully scan the man's body to try to decipher what time period she had been thrust into.

The robes he wore were a dark blue, and were tailored to fit him perfectly. They were of a higher quality, and Sakura would have to guess he came from a well off clan. He was obviously a ninja; the belts that ran across his torso were pouches that she assumed held ninja tools, though she had not gone through any of them. The cloak was nothing special, as everyone was partial to wearing cloaks throughout time, and she did not recognize the belts from any of her history books.

He had a sheath on one of his belt, though his sword was missing; probably from whatever battle he had come from. Though, she doubted the sword would have enlightened her any. His clothing gave her little idea of what time period she could be in, so, with little else to do, Sakura found her eyes wandering to the man's face, and she immediately froze.

His features were sharp and smooth at the same time, and he had a strong jaw. His skin was on the paler side, and was only intensified by the dark raven color of his hair. He was handsome, and was someone she could have seen herself falling for if she had been younger, and if she hadn't already fallen for someone who looked the exact same.

It wasn't the light of the sun that made her think that this man looked like Sasuke; the resemblance was uncanny. There were two stark differences, though, that reaffirmed the fact that this was not Sasuke. Sasuke's jaw had been more round, where this man's jaw was more angular, and Sasuke's eyes were a hint more almond shaped than this man's were.

That, and she knew Sasuke was dead.

Shaking her head as she tried to clear those thoughts, Sakura lifted her eyes from the stranger. She was glad she had saved him, not only because he was the first person she had seen, not only because she had a moral code of ethics that made her want to heal everyone she could, but also because she would have never forgave herself if she let Sasuke die twice…

Even if he only looked like Sasuke.


End file.
